In water polo, players try to throw the ball into the opposing team’s goal but have to swim or tread water, rather than touching the bottom of the pool.

With seven players on each side in the water—including the goalies—the sport requires ball handling, swimming skills, and fending off opponents.

“Water polo has a lot of different moving parts,” says Mikaela Browning ’26, a Dartmouth women’s water polo co-captain who enjoys the camaraderie on the pool deck and in the water.